Improvement in railways



N. GIBSON.

RAILWAY.

Patented Jan. 4, 1876.

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Fl'gnl l Inh/ENTER UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEHEMIAH GIBSON, OFBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT |N RAlLwAvsf Speoication forming part of Letters Patent No.171,721, dated January 4, 1876; application filed November 13, 1875.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEHEMIAH GIBSON, of Boston, in the county of Suolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway-Tracks and Rolling-Stock, which improvement isfully set `forth in the following specification, reference being had t'othe accompanying drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in arranging in iixed housings aseries of rollers, which, together, constitute the railway or track, andin placing under the engine and cars short rails, which form a part ofand move with them also, in moving the train by meansof a rope or chainfastened at its ends to the ends of the track, said rope or chainpassing around a drum or drums on the engine, the drums being driven bysteam-cylinders, forming a part of the engine 5 the object of myinvention being to save Weight and expense in the rolling-stock, andalso to save friction, cost of running, and liability to accidents.

Figure l is an elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of thesame. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same, the car-body being left off.

In the drawings, let A represent the con'- tinuous housings, in whichthe rollers B B are hung. These rollers may be placed at any convenientdistance apart-say, ten feet-and may be made of any desired size andstyle. The engine L consists of a strong frame, D D, Figs. 1,27 and 3,upon which are fixed rails or bed-pieces E E, Figs. l and 2. These rails-E E are made of such form as to it the rollers B B B, &c., and runsafely upon them. H H1 H2 are drums afxed to the engine, the two drums Hand H2 serving as guide-rollers for the rope or chain K, while the drumH, about which the rope or chain may pass, if desirable, is theprincipal driver, althoughlall of the drums H Hl H2 are connected tothesteameylinders. The cars, one of whichisshown at M, Figs. l and 2, areprovided with' 'short rails N N, which run on the fixed rollers B B B inthe saine manner that the rails of the engine run. The rails N Nl have aslight pivoted motion on the car-body, so as to allow for curves, &c. A

From the above description it will'be seen that by my system I candispense with all trucks and axles, thus making a great saving of weightto be moved.

My brake consists of a spring-bar, P, which may be forced down onto thecontinuous housing A by means of the cam Q, Figs. l and 2, which may beoperated in the usual manner.

I claim as my invention- In a system of railway transportation, thecombination of the rope-engine L H Hl H2, the rope K, and short pivotedrails N N', attached to and forming part of the rolling stock, with theseries of rollers B B B, all operating together substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

NEHEMIAH GIBSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, A. HUN BERRY.

